62 Main St. in Colleyville has had its share of restaurants since 2005, when chef David McMillan ran the restaurant 62 Main. He closed it in 2008 but left behind a memory of chef-driven food at this site. Tribeca Americana Bistro & Lounge, a new restaurant that opened in January, comes as close to fulfilling the potential as anything that's been in the space.

Owner-chef Sage Sakiri has been in and out of Tarrant County, at Red Sage in Colleyville and Dino's Steak and Claw House in Grapevine. He briefly opened a restaurant in New York, and consulted on the menu at Next Wood Fired Bistro. He has a local following, and that's plain to see in the steady crowd of friends and diners grateful for a new place to go out on the town.

Sakiri has an interesting culinary perspective fusing gourmand standards like foie gras with flavors from the Middle East and Africa. He's able to execute basics like the wonderful thin-crust flatbread pizzas, but it's his use of ingredients like tahini and couscous that gives Tribeca its unique panache. His telltale signature is a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and bean sprouts over almost everything he serves.

Starters sounded appealing even if some, such as the macaroni and cheese with lobster and porcini mushrooms ($9), seem more like side dishes. Portobello, pecan and Gouda tart ($7) was almost a quiche, with a savory buttery crust and rich custard filling with tender slices of mushroom and finely chopped pecans. It came to the table at the perfect temperature: warm but not too hot.

Roasted bone marrow ($7) was easy to share; two curved bones each held a pocket of rich, fatty marrow, ready to be scooped up with two slices of nicely grilled toast. But the bread at Tribeca is a weak point; it seemed ordinary, whether it was the fluffy house bread or the pedestrian buns on the entree of pulled duck sliders ($19).

Soft tacos ($18) filled with chunks of raw tuna had good ingredients but the assemblage was a bust. The blue corn tortillas were house-made and extra-thin, and came smeared with avocado-cilantro mousse and onion marmalade. Lots of good flavors, and they worked well together -- but what a mess to eat: too sloppy to pick them up, but too firm to eat with a fork.

Oxtail goulash ($19) served with polenta and tomato marmalade was a standout. This was comfort food with an exotic flair. Two meaty chunks of oxtail were as big as baseballs, but slow-braised for hours until they were so tender that the meat slipped out from pockets in the cartilage. Tomato sauce kept them moist and added brightness. The polenta was generously portioned and assertively flavored with garlic. Its texture was ideal: creamy on the verge of firm, with some appreciated chewy bits.

Sakiri has given the dining room a warm makeover with white tablecloths on the tables and carpets on the floor. Servers were young, serious and attentive -- ready to recommend a glass of wine or replace a dirty fork, showing that the attention to detail in the front of the house was a good match for the kitchen.

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